By Thomas Scaria
Bengaluru, July 24, 2023: More than 3,200 people from various walks of life on July 24 signed a memorandum urging the Indian President to “intervene urgently” to end the ethnic crisis in Manipur, a northeastern Indian state.
The memorandum was drafted by the National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM), an association of likeminded academics, artists, retired bureaucrats and concerned citizens, representing hundreds of movements and organizations from across the country.
“We request you to visit the state and assure justice to all the violated people, in particular the Kuki Zo women who have faced immense sexual, physical and mental violence,” says appeal addressed to the country’s first president from a tribal community.
The signatories want the president to ask the federal home minister and the Manipur chief minister to resign immediately, owning moral and legal responsibility for “their colossal failure” to maintain law order in the state where ethnic clashes have raged since May 3.
The appeal was submitted after a video surfaced in social media about the sexual assault on two Kuki women who were paraded naked in public. The May 4 incident came to limelight only on July 19 because of the internet shutdown in Manipur.
The movement, headed by Jesuit Father Cedric Prakash, urged the president to ensure accountability of all authorities and restoration of peace and justice in the strife-torn state.
A copy of the memorandum, submitted to also Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, lauded the Supreme Court for intervening in the matter as the government kept a cool response to it.
“We are grateful to the Chief Justice of India for issuing a stern statement to take immediate action to bring peace in Manipur,” the memorandum says. The court had warned that it would act if the government fails to act on Manipur.
The appeal decried the role of the federal and state governments, which have not only failed to restore normalcy in the burning state for three months, but has deepened the ethnic tensions, enabling majoritarian violence, leading to gross human rights abuses.
It has called for a comprehensive and time-bound judicial inquiry to ensure due legal process and accountability of violators and authorities, not only in the ‘viral’ case of sexual violence and murders, but in hundreds of other cases, as admitted by Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh.
The appeal also urged the president to uphold the rights and safety of all vulnerable sections, especially the tribal women and ensure that there is no unconstitutional and unfair change in the list of Scheduled Tribes.
The president has also been urged to hold back assent to regressive amendments to forest laws that would have far-reaching adverse impact on forest cover and forest-dwelling communities across India.
More than 60 days after a mob stripped, paraded and sexually assaulted the two Kuki women, the guilty still roaming free, the appeal lamented.
Chhotebhai is right but NAPM is dealing with a caged parrot.
It is true that “out of true concern” various people are sending “Memorandum” and writing “Open Letters” to the President of India. My simple and frank question is “What will be the outcome?”. The answer is “Zero”.
1) The wrestling protesters were fighting in Jantar Mantar for more than a month. It is not far from Rashtrapathi Bhavan. Did she open her mouth? NEVER.
2) She was not invited for the inauguration of the Central Vista. It was her right to inaugurate as the first citizen of the country. Did she question Modi government? NEVER.
3) Manipur has been burning for more almost three months. Did she react? NEVER.
4) She knows all the blunders of the federal government committed against the Constitution of India. Does she ever challenge the rulers? NEVER.
5) Atrocities on women are on the increase. Being a woman does she speak? NEVER.
So, what can we expect from the President???
Must keep up the pressure from all sides